Rented Apartment - Damp Issues

KMM

Hi,

I am not sure if I am posting in the right forum but I was hoping for some advice on damp and mould issue we are having in new apartment we moved into.

We noticed shortly after we moved in that the external walls of the apartment got quite damp, especially over night. Eventually and even after wiping down the walls and windows every day, that mould was beginning to grow. Also the wardrobe, which is fitted against the external wall of the bedroom is soaking on one side nearly every morning.

I have done some research on line, and followed some steps, ie. making sure the vents are not blocked (we have only one for the whole apartment), have the windows open everyday for most of the morning and afternoon, wiping and cleaning off mould etc. We have to dry our clothes in the apartment on a clothes horse as there is no dryer in the apartment and we are not allowed dry clothes outside. We keep this to a minimum which is itself not ideal.

We bought those small disposable dehumiderfiers but they really haven't lessened the issue even though they fill with water.

There is clear evidence that previous mould had grown on the walls and windowsills, as it has been painted over and the more we wipe water away the more apparent it becomes.

Can we go to our landlord about it?

Any advice would be great. Thanks

anonyanony

KMM wrote: »

Hi,

I am not sure if I am posting in the right forum but I was hoping for some advice on damp and mould issue we are having in new apartment we moved into.

We noticed shortly after we moved in that the external walls of the apartment got quite damp, especially over night. Eventually and even after wiping down the walls and windows every day, that mould was beginning to grow. Also the wardrobe, which is fitted against the external wall of the bedroom is soaking on one side nearly every morning.

I have done some research on line, and followed some steps, ie. making sure the vents are not blocked (we have only one for the whole apartment), have the windows open everyday for most of the morning and afternoon, wiping and cleaning off mould etc. We have to dry our clothes in the apartment on a clothes horse as there is no dryer in the apartment and we are not allowed dry clothes outside. We keep this to a minimum which is itself not ideal.

We bought those small disposable dehumiderfiers but they really haven't lessened the issue even though they fill with water.

There is clear evidence that previous mould had grown on the walls and windowsills, as it has been painted over and the more we wipe water away the more apparent it becomes.

Can we go to our landlord about it?

Any advice would be great. Thanks

Is there a public dryer facilities in the building if not I think he has to provide you with a dryer.

Doop

To be fair from what you describe it sounds like a build issue more than anything. Warm internal air (breathing/ cooking/ heating, is hitting a cold wall and condensing (The wall should be well enough insulated for this not to happen).

You shouldnt have to leave windows open for hours on end doesnt take anywhere near long for a complete change of air to take place.

Sorry not offering much in terms of advice really just pointing the finger towards poor construction.

spaceHopper

I would talks to threshold or your local council the is supposed to be a dryer if there is no meas of drying clothes outside. As short term measure to rule out damp from drying clothes use a launderette to tumble dry them. If there is still damp in the apartment then it's from your breath or it's coming in from outside. Is it a new building or an old converted building. Are there any broken drain pipes against the wall or if you are on the ground floor any clay or ruble against the outside wall that could be letting water cross the damp poof course.

KMM

anonyanony: There are no shared drying facilities. Its a large block of apartments, but we are ground floor with our own entrance. We think we are supposed to be supplied with a dryer, but not fully sure, so we need to look into it.

Doop: I was kind of wondering the same, especially as the damp on the front and rear external walls goes from the ground up. Its even in the main bathroom, which we rarely use. It rises from the bottom row of tiles to the next one and then stops.

While we don't want to have to keep living with the issue, we also want to keep the landlord on our side as we have had some really bad experiences with them over the years.

Thanks for the help

KMM

Spacehopper: There are no broken pipes etc outside. I think we have to go and ask if a dryer can be provided, especially as we literally have cut down washing/drying clothes (the pile of laundry waiting for me is huge!). We have been going to dry cleaner but that has been expensive and we simply cant afford to do it all the time.

spaceHopper

From the sound of what you've said it's not drying clothes but I suggested it so that your LL can't fob you off. You should call him and see what he says

KMM

Noticed today base of external wall in spare bedroom riddled with mould. Landlord not replying to texts or calls. Very frustrating considering we've been in the place less than 2 months

The_Morrigan

KMM wrote: »

Noticed today base of external wall in spare bedroom riddled with mould. Landlord not replying to texts or calls. Very frustrating considering we've been in the place less than 2 months

It's Christmas week, unless it's an emergency you won't get a response from the landlord.

KMM

Yeh, well aware of that. Have been trying since last week mind you. Not to worry, will try again once holidays are over.

Happy Christmas everyone

gozunda

KMM wrote: »

Yeh, well aware of that. Have been trying since last week mind you. Not to worry, will try again once holidays are over.

What type of heating do you have in the apartment? How long do you have it on each day?

ted1

Where on the wall is the mould ?

In one of my properties there was a tiny leak in a pipe and it was climbing up the wall. Ended up having to kango out the kitchen floor.

So if the the mould touches the floor it could be rising damp from the ground

KMM

Gozunda: Its electric storage heating, the standard type. We typically use one, for the main living area on the night meter. We put that on when its cold and it keeps the place warm then for the following day and night too. But it may be on every 2nd or 3rd night. We have the same heaters in the bedrooms but we only use them when it is cold and we want to give a boost to the apt.

ted1:The damp and mould is on the bottom of the external walls, just above the skirting. There is some around the window frames too and in our main bed room there is slight mould growth in the top corners of the wall (where the wall and ceiling meet).

punisher5112

Hi op. For your own health get out as soon as you can.

The property is not insulated properly and not enough vents.

Get onto local environmental health through council .

Write everything down also contact threshold and they will give you all the info as if it needs to be escalated to the prtb.

I had a similar problem few years back.

We broke the lease as the house was unfit and this was backed up with health officer and ended up getting full deposit back including a extra month back as their fine.

I understand hard time at Christmas to be thinking of leaving but you will suffer.

BryanF

KMM wrote: »

damp and mould is on the bottom of the external walls, just above the skirting. There is some around the window frames too and in our main bed room there is slight mould growth in the top corners of the wall (where the wall and ceiling meet).

these are typical thermal (cold) bridge locations.

Cuddlesworth

KMM wrote: »

Doop: I was kind of wondering the same, especially as the damp on the front and rear external walls goes from the ground up. Its even in the main bathroom, which we rarely use. It rises from the bottom row of tiles to the next one and then stops.

Like this?



TBH, you have pretty much described a building with no damp proof course in the foundation walls which is a grievous building defect. If that is the case, best thing you can do is move. Its a pretty hard problem to fix and the walls behind the plasterboard will be a teeming ground of black mould.

The other areas with mould like around the windows and corners would be from the increased water content in the apartment. Ventilation won't help.

blacklilly

BryanF wrote: »

these are typical thermal (cold) bridge locations.

Exactly what I was thinking and not the easiest thing to rectify.

Your LL will probably have a long road ahead of him/her to resolve the issue